HDR Rice Daubney brings together art, technology and sustainability in this innovative design for Novartis’ new Macquarie Park campus

Novartis is a world leading pharmaceuticals company dedicated to addressing some of society’s most challenging healthcare issues, using science based innovation.  The new Novartis Macquarie Park building has consolidated 500 head office associates across Alcon, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Sandoz, with the aim of increasing collaboration across divisions with the aim to create a more efficient footprint by moving from three office locations to a single location.

Collaborating with Novartis, Marprop and Ganellen together with Velhoen, JBA Urban, TTW, AECOM, HDR | Rice Daubney undertook all architectural and interior design on the project to deliver a new smart, efficiently designed building.

CSM National BDM Victoria Harris talks to HDR Rice Daubney Associate Directors Rahul Butala and Stefano Cottini about their vision for this project and the creation of an interior designed to inspire workplace innovation.

How did HDR Rice Daubney translate the Novartis brand in the structure of the design?

Novartis had teams of highly talented people spread across multiple locations.  They wanted to bring them together into one place, a place where collaboration is not only encouraged, but where it is built into the very fabric of the building; they wanted a building that not only reflected its mission as a company, but that created an ideal working environment.

Therefore we started from their founding values of scientific precision and professionalism balanced and fuelled by people-centric concepts of collaboration and teamwork for the greater good.  The design focused on these two ideas and their interaction.  The scientific finds its expression in the form of the main office floor plates as a simple slender rectangle. This form is then intersected by a very different language of curved forms that shape the core and the spaces at the heart of the building from top to bottom. Within these more human zones vertical movement through the use of 4 glass lifts and a series of relaxed stairs encourages communication and transparency between employees.

In order to achieve the target NABERS energy tenancy rating of 5 Stars Green Star rating, what sustainability features were incorporated in the new office space?

The Client and the whole team was on board with the idea of not “chasing points”, but to adopt initiatives that would create a better working environment.

IEQ, for example, was a major component of the 5 Star Green Star Design rating the building achieved, with over 70% of the typical office floor achieving optimal daylight penetration and access to external views. At the same time internal fresh air rates have been increased by 100% over code to aid flushing of internal pollutants. Along the same lines was the provision of showers and lockers well beyond what was required to achieve the maximum available Green Star points.

How did you accommodate NOVARTIS’ broader business storage solutions?

As part of the activity-based working environment, personal and shared team storage is centralised around anchor points. In these areas, personal lockers and joinery pieces with integrated storage are used to create a feeling of ‘home’ within the building and to create a connection point for everyone within the same division, a place where employees can find what they need to start or change tasks during the day.

CSM provided DDA compliant Rolling Storage Units for the project. How did CSM products align with the specifications for this project?

Together with personal and team storage needs, Novartis has strictly regulated requirements for storage of clinical trials and regulatory documents. These have been accommodated in fire-rated rooms at the extremities of the central area. CSM was extremely useful in ensuring these stringent requirements were met to full satisfaction of the Client.

For more information on our extensive Rolling Storage Range contact CSM sales@csm-office.com.au